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Role-based access control for a distributed calculus

Role-based access control for a distributed calculus
Role-based access control for a distributed calculus
Role-based access control (RBAC) is increasingly attracting attention because it reduces the complexity and cost of security administration by interposing the notion of role in the assignment of permissions to users. In this paper, we present a formal framework relying on an extension of the $\pi$-calculus to study the behaviour of concurrent systems in a RBAC scenario. We define a type system ensuring that the specified policy is respected during computations, and a behavioural equivalence to equate systems. We then consider a more sophisticated feature that can be easily integrated in our framework, i.e., the possibility of automatically adding role activations and deactivations to processes to be run under a given policy (whenever possible). Finally, we show how the framework can be easily extended to express significant extensions of the core RBAC model, such as roles hierarchies or constraints determining the acceptability of the system components.
role-based access control, security, language-based security distributed calculi, semantics of distributed systems
133-155
Braghin, C.
98752bfd-abab-4316-9f5d-dcf85df7a7ee
Gorla, D.
50a6c562-72c9-4512-87e9-003654d30a41
Sassone, V.
df7d3c83-2aa0-4571-be94-9473b07b03e7
Braghin, C.
98752bfd-abab-4316-9f5d-dcf85df7a7ee
Gorla, D.
50a6c562-72c9-4512-87e9-003654d30a41
Sassone, V.
df7d3c83-2aa0-4571-be94-9473b07b03e7

Braghin, C., Gorla, D. and Sassone, V. (2006) Role-based access control for a distributed calculus. Journal of Computer Security, 14 (2), 133-155.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Role-based access control (RBAC) is increasingly attracting attention because it reduces the complexity and cost of security administration by interposing the notion of role in the assignment of permissions to users. In this paper, we present a formal framework relying on an extension of the $\pi$-calculus to study the behaviour of concurrent systems in a RBAC scenario. We define a type system ensuring that the specified policy is respected during computations, and a behavioural equivalence to equate systems. We then consider a more sophisticated feature that can be easily integrated in our framework, i.e., the possibility of automatically adding role activations and deactivations to processes to be run under a given policy (whenever possible). Finally, we show how the framework can be easily extended to express significant extensions of the core RBAC model, such as roles hierarchies or constraints determining the acceptability of the system components.

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Published date: 2006
Additional Information: To appear
Keywords: role-based access control, security, language-based security distributed calculi, semantics of distributed systems
Organisations: Web & Internet Science

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 261848
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/261848
PURE UUID: 296e7ee8-ab56-43fd-a3e3-521dd5db00c4

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 27 Jan 2006
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 06:59

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Contributors

Author: C. Braghin
Author: D. Gorla
Author: V. Sassone

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